SPY PICS: Best look yet at Kia ute
New images give us a better look at Kia’s upcoming dual-cab ute, showing long wheelbase and moreAnother prototype of the forthcoming Kia ute has been spotted testing in South Korea, providing an unimpeded view from nose to tail of the long-awaited dual-cab workhorse.
Although the engineering development car is camouflaged, the images published by Autospy clearly identify this as Kia’s ute with its grille design showing the company’s badge.
The front-end also has a Kia Mohave SUV-inspired fascia and headlight arrangement.
What’s more, the images show Kia’s new ute will have a long wheelbase – at least as much as the 3270mm found on the latest Ford Ranger, we’d suggest – which bodes well for a roomy cabin.
The rear overhang looks to be longer than some of its key rivals too, indicating a generous tray length.
An earlier batch of spy shots suggested the Kia will be one of the wider mid-size utes on the market, so in overall terms the pick-up’s stance should be broad, if not imposing.
It’s too early to speculate on how this will translate to approach, departure and rampover angles, but we’d be surprised if Kia failed to ensure the 4x4 ute is as competitive off-road as it should be on-road.
The ute is expected to be powered by the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine found in the Kia Sorento, with an eight-speed automatic transmission fitted standard.
Higher-end versions could also pack a Genesis-sourced 3.0-litre turbo-diesel straight-six, which could endow the newcomer with more power and equivalent torque to the new V6-powered 184kW/600Nm Ford Ranger.
Turbo-petrol and petrol-electric hybrid powertrains are also rumoured to feature in certain markets, with a dedicated battery-electric version also on the cards further down the track.
Concrete details and launch timing are still to be confirmed, but the current R&D program suggests the Kia ute will debut either later this year or early 2024 and be on sale in Australia by 2025.
Related: Kia and Hyundai utes are still on track for Australia
Related: SPY PICS: First Kia ute prototype spotted in Korea
Related: Kia ute will ‘kick arse’
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